Nipple construction



NOV. 2, 1954 c, RODRlGUEz 2,693,188

NIPPLE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 25, 1952 FIGS ATTORNEY NIPPLECONSTRUCTION Carnilo Rodriguez, East Greenwich, R. I., assignor to DavolRubber Company, a corporation of Rhode Island Application April 25,1952, Serial No. 284,301

3 Claims. (c1. 128-252) The present invention relates to infant feeding,and has particular reference to a novel construction for a feedingnipple.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an impoved nipplefor use with a small mouth nursing bot e.

Another object of the invention is to provide a nipple for a small mouthnursing bottle which has a continuously open air vent.

A further object of the invention is to provide a nipple air vent whichdoes not leak when the nipple is in use.

With the above and other objects and advantageous features in view, theinvention consists of a novel arrangement of parts more fully disclosedin the detailed description following, in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, and more specifically defined in the claimsappended thereto.

In the drawings,

Fig. l is an elevation view showing a preferred embodiment of theinvention as mounted on a small mouth nursing bottle.

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 with the nipple in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is-a view similar to Fig. 2, the nipple being separated from thebottle;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the nipple, partly in section, on the line5-5 of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a partial section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

It has been found desirable to provide a nipple for a small mouthnursing bottle, which has a continuously open air vent, the air ventbeing so constructed that it will not leak nursing fluid under normalconditions of use. To this end, I have devised a nipple with a noveldouble rib construction having a shallow intermediate air groove, therib beingpressed against the rim of the nursing bottle when mountedthereon to take the pressure and flatten out to provide a restrictedopen vent in the nature of a capillary bore, whereby air may vent intothe nipple while outflow of feeding liquid is restricted. The double ribeffectively prevents leakage from the nurser.

Referring to the drawings, the nipple 10 is illustrated in Fig. l asmounted on a small mouth standard type nursing bottle 11, which has areduced neck 12, see Fig. 2, and a rim 13. The nipple 10 of flexiblematerial such as rubber, includes a lower hollow generally cylindricalbase 14 having an annular lower flange 15 with a bevelled lower surface16, an upstanding neck 17 of less width than the base and having avertical inner cylindrical surface 18 and an outer surface 19 flaring atits lower portion to merge with the outer surface of the base, whereby athickened annulus 20 of generally triangular cross-section is providedat the juncture of the neck and the base. The neck has a spherical typetip 21 at its upper end which is provided with one or more feedingpassages 22. The annulus 20 provides an elastic resistance to the lipsof an infant which prevents collapsing of the nipple when in use andalso exercises the gums during feeding. The neck depends downwardlybelow the annulus 20 to provide a circular tongue 23, whereby an annularrecess 24 is formed by the tongue 23, the lower surface 25 of theannulus 20, the inner surface 26 of the base 14, and the upper surface27 of the flange 15, the recess 24 receiving the rim 13 of the bottlewhen the flange 15 is snapped over the rim with the tongue 23 extendinginto the bottle opening. The snap insertion of the bottle rim into the 8recess, and its removal therefrom, is facilitated by a finger UnitedStates Patent Oifice 2,693,188 Patented Nov. 2, 1954 graspable tab 28which extends outwardly from the lower portion of the base 14, and whichmay be provided with a depression 29 in its upper surface for bettermanual grasping.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, the lower inner portion of the nipple isprovided with a vertical bead 30 of shallow depth and a relativelyextended width, having spaced flat ribs 31, 32 and a centralintermediate groove or trough 33, the head 30 extending over thebevelled surface 16, the flange 15, the recess 24, and the lower surfaceof the tongue 23. When the nipple is mounted on the nursing bottle, asillustrated in Fig. 2, the bead 30 contacts the neck and the rim of thebottle, under tension, and the spaced ribs 31, 32 are spread, without,however, flattening the groove 33 sufficiently to close the groove topassage of air.

The above described construction provides a venting nipple with acontinuously open air vent passage, which, however, is of small size andthus blocks outflow of milk or other feeding fluid.

Although I have disclosed a specific construction of a nipple embodyingthe invention, it is obvious that changes in the size, shape, andarrangement of the parts may be made to meet different nursingrequirements, without departing from the spirit or the scope of theinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A nursing nipple having a generally cylindrical hollow base, anupstanding reduced neck terminating in a feeding tip havlng a passagewaytherethrough, the outer surface of the neck flaring at its lower portionto merge with the outer surface of the base and the inner surface of theneck being vertical to provide a thickened annulus at the juncture ofthe base and neck, the wall of said neck extending downwardly to form acircular depending tongue, said base having a lower internal annularflange, whereby a recess for receiving a bottle rim is provided betweenthe lower flange, the base wall, the thickened annulus and the dependingtongue, and a continuous bead of shallow depth across the surface ofsaid tongue, said recess, and said internal annular flange, said beadhaving a longitudinal air vent groove.

2. A nursing nipple having a generally cylindrical hollow base, anupstanding reduced neck terminating in a feeding tip having a passagewaytherethrough, the outer surface of the neck flaring at its lower portionto merge with the outer surface of the base, and the inner surface ofthe neck being vertical to provide a thickened annulus at the uncture ofthe base and neck, the wall of said neck extending downwardly to form acircular depending tongue, said base having a lower internal annularflange, whereby a recess for receiving a bottle rimis provided betweenthe lower flange, the base wall, the thickened annulus and the dependingtongue, and a continuous bead of shallow depth across the surface ofsaid tongue, said recess, and said internal annular flange, said beadhaving a central longitudinal air vent groove.

3. A nursing nipple having a generally cylindrical hollow base, anupstanding'reduced neck terminating in a feeding tip having a passagewaytherethrough, the outer surface of the neck flaring at its lower portionto merge with the outer surface of the base, and the inner surface ofthe neck being vertical to provide a thickened annulus at the junctureof the base and neck, the wall of said neck extending downwardly to forma circular depending tongue, said base having a lower internal annularflange, whereby a recess for receiving a bottle rim is provided betweenthe lower flange, the base wall, the thickened annulus and the dependingtongue, and a continuous bead of shallow depth across the surface ofsaid tongue, said recess, and said internal annular flange, said beadhaving two spaced longitudinal flat portions and an intermediatelongitudinal air vent groove.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS LittleAug. 29, 1950

